Extremely rare lobster discovered in restaurant tank rehomed to Virginia Living Museum

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Freckles the lobster is literally one in 30 million.

The extremely rare Calico lobster, detected by staff at a Red Lobster in Manassas, Virginia, has a new home at the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, WAVY-TV reported.

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“We take great pride in our conservation efforts and strive to create strong partnerships in our community,” Chris Crippen, the museum’s senior director of animal welfare and conservation, told the TV station.

Unlike a blue lobster, which is also rare but quite recognizable, a Calico lobster’s mix of traditional brown and yellow coloring before being cooked could explain how Freckles wound up on display for hungry diners, Food & Wine reported.

“Calico-colored lobsters like Freckles are so rare, it was almost unbelievable that we received one!” a Red Lobster spokesperson told the outlet via email. “We are so proud of our employees for recognizing that Freckles was so special and for reaching out so we could make arrangements for rescue.”

Crippen said that the restaurant reached out to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, “of which we are a proud member,” to find Freckles an appropriate home.

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“We see this as an opportunity to share nature’s anomaly with guests, as well as continue important education about sustainable seafood practices and significant conservation efforts of the American lobster fishery,” Crippen told WAVY-TV, noting the museum retrieved Freckles from Manassas on Thursday.

According to Food & Wine, employees at a Red Lobster in Ohio discovered a one-in-a-million blue lobster, dubbed Clawdia, in a shipment and rehomed the crustacean to the Akron Zoo.

Cox Media Group